Kim Hee-sun wins grand prize at Helsinki ballet competition

Ballerina Kim Hee-sun has become the first South Korean to win the Helsinki International Ballet Competition. The 24-year-old on Thursday (local time) won the Jane Erkko Grand Prix, which is the top award in the senior women’s category, the Korean National Ballet said Friday.

Yun Byul, 22, a student at Korea National University of Arts, clinched the second prize in the senior men’s category, which had no top winner, while Shin So-jung, 18, and Shim Yeo-jin, 15, won the first and third prize in the junior women’s competition, respectively.

Kim Jae-deok of the Laboratory Dance Project grabbed the choreography award.

In the meanwhile, violinist Kim Bomsori, 26, won the second prize and the People's Choice Award offered by Radio-Canada at the 2016 Montreal International Musical Competition.

김동욱 기자creating@donga.com